KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Monday was supposed to be the deadline for health care enrollment, but those taking it down to the wire have been given a reprieve… again. President Barack Obama pushed the deadline back one day to Tuesday for those seeking coverage effective on January 1st.
In the metro area, the Shepherd Center was a busy place where navigators dealt with back-to-back appointments and a rush of people wanting health care coverage. Jenny Gottsch graduated from college last weekend. She’s looking for a job — and an affordable plan.
“I’ve been enrolled in programs before where it`s just been too expensive for me to pay,” she said.
Jenny started the enrollment process on healthcare.gov, but said she needed help figuring out which plan is best for her.
“It’s supposed to be user-friendly, but I`m still confused as a 22-year-old. I`m still learning about all this stuff,” she said.
George Mayer is a trained navigator, one of 80,000 in the country working to help people like Jenny.
“We don’t sell insurance. We’re not employed by an insurance company. We’re just here to help people get through the system,” Mayer said.
The system had its share of problems. During the first two months of enrollment there were many hardware and software defects. Consumers were frustrated by error messages.
“Early on the web site was very unstable, but things have gotten a lot better now and we’re signing up people every day,” Mayer said.
George said it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to four-and-a half hours to enroll in a plan. It just depends on a client’s personal situation. For Jenny, a young woman with a bright future, having coverage is a relief.
“I’m going to feel better about being somewhere and having health insurance under my belt,” she said.
Again, the health care enrollment deadline is extended to Tuesday night at midnight if you want coverage by January 1st. If you miss the deadline, don’t worry. You can still enroll any time until March 31st. That’s when open enrollment ends and penalties for the uninsured kick in.
